I'm just a beginner. Why do I have a plateau?

Christinamosher

I started MFP about 3 weeks ago. The first week I lost 5 lbs. Then second week I lost nothing, and this week I gained a pound! I don't understand: I'm working out about 5-6 days a week and I'm following the calorie restriction to within 300 calories (I eat back the calories I exercise). Now it's weird, my clothes feel looser, but I don't see a difference in the weight. Is this normal so early in the beginning?

barefootgardener

I would try not eating back the extra calories you get from exercising. also your a girl so water weight might be getting you, i gain 10 before a period sometimes. I notice when i take my daily vitamins and drink extra water I lose faster/don't plateau.

sdavis448

Your probably losing inches and gaining muscle! Did you take measurements before you started? You ARE supposed to eat back the calories you burn to keep your metabolism going strong!

faithindeed82

Weight is just a number. If your clothes feel looser then you are seeing real progress! Try not weighing so often and pay more attention to your clothes. I don't care what I weigh really, as long as I am moving down in sizes.

bms34b

Plateaus can come to anyone, any time, as our bodies all have their own agendas. My best advice is to not let affect your morale and keep on trucking - you CAN do it and you WILL see results!

AZTrailRunner

Weight is just a number. If your clothes feel looser then you are seeing real progress! Try not weighing so often and pay more attention to your clothes. I don't care what I weigh really, as long as I am moving down in sizes.

Agreed! people are too concerned about what the scale says. If you are eating better and exercising, weight loss will be a by-product of that lifestyle. Try not to obsess about what the scale says. It doesn't distinguish between fat, muscle, and water weight.

dcladydi

This is exactly what has been happening to me. It might be that you are losing inches and the weight will follow (at least that is what I've been told) It will be weigh in tomorrow and I will see if I have lost anymore. Don't give up... just keep doing what you are doing and it will eventually catch up to you.

You can friend me if you want and we can keep each other motivated.

Mariposa187

The weight is not always going to move the way we want. I had the same problem but it sounds like you are losing inches... a lot of people suggest measuring your arms, bust, hips, waist, thighs, etc. to keep see the differences because the scale is not the only measurment.

Also experiment with eating back your exercise calories. It may be that you dont need to eat them all or maybe none at all... everyone is different. I have to eatabout half of mine and others dont eat any of theirs....

your TOM can also interfere... or water retention.... sodium intake...

There are a number of factors... Good luck

Tereztaylor07

Don't forget to switch things up. Don't do the same workouts all the time or your body will not burn as much during them.

chevy88grl

First off, are you eating enough? Make sure that you're eating your NET calories that MFP gives you for the day. That means, if it is telling you to eat 1200 calories - EAT AT LEAST 1200 NET calories. So, if you eat 1200 and burn 400 working out - you NEED to eat 400 more to get you back to 1200 calories. Don't short change your body food-wise. Yes, I know it seems odd but you HAVE to eat to lose weight. Plain and simple. A starving body won't lose weight. It'll store fat and burn muscle for fuel. That isn't what we want it to do. We want it to be comfortable. We want it to feel like it is getting enough nutrition to burn the fat and build muscle. In order to do that, you have to give it enough food. Starvation diets DO NOT WORK LONG TERM. Sure, you'll lose weight initially but you won't be able to keep it off long term. This isn't a diet, it is a lifestyle change.

Make sure you're switching up your workouts now and again. Our bodies get used to what we're doing and begin to adapt to the exercises. They'll run more efficiently - thus burning less calories while working out. Switch it up! Do something different. Your body NEEDS to be shocked now and again. It keeps it wondering what's gonna happen next.

Drink enough water. Water is crucial to weight loss.

YOU CAN DO THIS!

TourThePast

It would be a good idea to measure at least your waist and hips - it's discouraging when the scales don't move, but when you see the inches going you realise weight isn't everything.

On the weighing thing, just the obvious which I'm sure you're aware of, a big glass of water weighs up to a pound, you want to be weighing just yourself.

Ideally, weigh yourself at the same time every day, first thing in the morning, naked, after going to the lavatory, and before having a drink or eating anything. This will totally minimise the normal daily fluctuations, but don't get hung up on one particular weight - your body does odd things!

bbialik

The last time I hit a wall, someone at work told me "when you hit a wall, increase your protein." It worked! I lost ten pounds over the next two weeks. I simply added a couple hard boiled eggs to my breakfast and other sources of protein here and there. Nothing too drastic. Made sure to eat the recommended calories and didn't eat what I exercised off. I'm a nurse so I talked to a couple of doctors at work and they agreed with the protein strategy.

Christinamosher

Thanks all! I'm going to try your advice. I know it's been a struggle to drink the eight glasses of water a day, but yesterday I finally forced myself to, plus I'm going to switch up my exercises and try and eat the bulk of my calories for lunch instead of dinner. I'll see what happens.

missxchelly

I always eat back my exercise calories if I have too or want too. Indulge. I work out hard at the gym so I am able to open up a little for dinner and have more choices for dinner if I want too. Sometimes I eat super healthy for dinner, sometimes I don't. So depending on the day I will leave anywhere from 200-800 calories left. I just eat until I'm satisfied, so I'm not worrying about the calories and stuff too much. If I have 800 calories left and it's close to bedtime and I'm not hungry I won't force myself to eat them. I also don't eat two or more hours before bed. Your body takes two hours to digest food so that could maybe be a problem. Also, drink plenty and plenty of water. When our bodies are processing food it makes us feel hungry sometimes and it makes noises that are comparable to your stomach growling. You may just be thirsty. You need to think of your body like a garbage disposal. You wouldn't try to wash down a bunch of food in your garbage disposal at home with a little water would you? Your body is the exact same way. Also, switch up your exercise routine. Don't go on the same days all the time, and do different cardio workouts. Hope this helps!